Guardian
'Guardian' Guardians take their name from the relationship they have with a unique companion that accompanies them. Guardians are shepherds of natural and magical beasts which aid them in combat. The Guardian Quick Build You can make a guardian quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Wisdom your highest abiltiy score, followed by Dexterity. Some guardians who focus on attacking may make Dexterity higher than Wisdom. Second, choose the Hermit background. 'Class Features' As a guardian, you gain the following class features. Hit Points: Hit Dice: 1d8 per guardian level Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per guardian level after 1st Proficiencies: Armor: Light armor Weapons: Simple weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Arcana, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, Performance, Religion, and Survival Equipment: You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background. * (a) a light crossbow or (b) a shortbow or © a longbow (if proficient) * (a) 20 arrows or (b) 20 crossbow bolts * (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an entertainer's pack or © an explorer's pack * Leather armor and any simple weapon Companion You gain a companion that accompanies you on your adventure and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast from among the following options: ape, black bear, blood hawk, boar, flying snake, giant badger, giant crab, giant frog, giant poisonous snake, giant rat, giant wasp, giant weasel, giant wolf spider, mule, panther, pony, pteranodon, or wolf. Your DM might allow additional options. Your companion loses the Multiattack action if it has one. The companion obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitude, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own. Your companion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your companion shares your alignment. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, a companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls. Your companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with all saving throws. For each guardian level you gain after 3rd, your companion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly. Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion's abilities also improve. Your companion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise. Companions cannot learn feats. Your archetype may grant your companion additional bonuses or features. Regardless of your abilities, you can never have more than one companion at a time. Bestial Archetype At 1st level, you choose between two different expressions of the guardian: Animist or Big Game Hunter, which are detailed below. Your archetype choice grants you features at 1st level, and again at 3rd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. Spellcasting Spontaneous Wis caster. Base spell list, varies for each archetype. Can cast rituals. Beast Speech At 2nd level, you learn one language of your choice. Most guardians learn Sylvan, but you can also choose Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, or any other language you like. Ability Score Increase When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. 'Bestial Archetypes' Guardians traditionally bond with two different types of creatures and form two different classic archetypes: Animist or Big Game Hunter. The bestial archetype you choose is a representation of what type of creature you've tamed or summoned and how you interact with it. Your archetype is also an expression of your own abilities and how you use them to fight alongside your companion or aid it in combat. Animist Animists are guardians who value protective magic, who have progressed beyond using simple beasts as aid. Animists can conjure the spirits of fey and stronger creatures to attack for them. Animists don't often do their own fighting, and are more at home on the back line, lending protection and healing to a monstrous devil-dog or a great winged couatl. Animists study more potent magic and have a wider array of tricks at their disposal, which allows them to influence the battlefield in unique ways. Summoning: When you choose this archetype at 1st level, you learn how to summon a more exotic companion instead of bonding with a mundane one. Companions you control are always either celestial, fey, or fiend type (your choice). Its Intelligence score becomes 6 if it's not already higher, and it can understand (but not read or speak) one of the following languages of your choice: Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, or Sylvan. While your companion is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your companion. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. If your companion dies, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. In this state, your companion is not truly dead and can be returned to you with a special 8 hour ritual. Alternatively, you can spend 8 hours magically bonding with a new creature from another plane and summoning it to you, either the same type of creature as before or a different one. Life Link: Starting at 3rd level, any time your companion takes damage, you can choose to lose any amount of hit points and reduce the damage dealt to your companion by the same amount. You can't reduce your hit points below 0 with this ability. Enhanced Summoning: Beginning at 6th level, you can summon even more exotic creatures with unique features. Whenever you perform the 8 hour ritual needed to call forth a companion, you can choose from the following list of effects to augment the companion you summon. * Elemental: Your companion's attacks deal an additional 1d6 damage of the type you choose: cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, or radiant. This damage increases to 2d6 at level 14. * Improved Senses: Your companion has the ability to see perfectly in the dark out to 120 feet, even in magical darkness. * Magic Attacks: Your companion's attacks count as magic and silver for the purpose of overcoming resistance. * Minor Magic: Your companion learns one cantrip of your choice from any spell list. If required, you choose whether it uses Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as its spellcasting ability. * Natural Armor: Your companion gains a natural armor of 12 + Dexterity, if it isn't already higher. * Skilled: Your companion becomes proficient in two skills of your choice. * Vocal: Your companion learns Common and can read and speak it along with any other language it knows. * Winged: Your companion has bat-like, insect, or feathery wings (your choice), granting it a fly speed equal to its normal move speed. Deliver Spells: Starting at 10th level, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your companion can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your companion must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll. Amplified Summoning Beginning at 14th level, you can summon even more unique creatures. Summoning a companion now only takes 4 hours. Additionally, whenever you do so, you can choose two options from the enhanced summoning list, or choose one option and one from the following list. * Expertise: Choose two of your companion's skill proficiencies. Its proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability checks made with those skills. * Major Magic: Your companion can cast invisibility on itself at will. * Resistance: Your companion has resistance to one of the following damage types that you choose: cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, or radiant. Share Spells: Beginning at 18th level, when you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your companion with the spell if your companion is within 30 feet of you. Big Game Hunter Big game hunters are tough and rugged individuals. They bond with beasts they encounter in their hunts and use them to bring down even larger trophies. A big game hunter might use a falcon to track down a wily manticore, or fight side by side with a rampaging boar. Hunters don't take all the glory, but neither do they let their companions steal the limelight. The game hunter ideal is to be in the middle of combat, flanking a fire-breathing dragon with the help of a trusty companion. Animal Bond: If your companion dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours magically bonding with another creature that isn't hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one. Big Game Hunter Proficiencies: When you choose this archetype at 1st level, you gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons. Your companion gains proficiency with light and medium armor barding. Hunter's Prey: At 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice. * When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 damage if it's below its hit point maximum. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn. * When a Large or larger creature within 5 feet of you hits or misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction to attack that creature immediately after its attack, provided that you can see the creature. * Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon. Eldritch Claws: At 6th level, your companion's attacks count as magic for the purpose of overcoming resistance. Additionally, when you use the Attack action on your turn, if your companion can see you, it can use its reaction to make a melee attack. Ability Score Increase: When you reach 10th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Your companion also gains an ability score increase as it normally would. Shared Evasion: At 14th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or a lightning bolt spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. Your companion gains this benefit as well. Pack Tactics: At 18th level, you have advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. Your companion gains this benefit as well, if it doesn't already have it.